Biophilic Design

Biophilic design uses the human connection to nature (“biophilia”) to connect people more closely to nature in buildings including homes, workplaces, businesses, public facilities, schools, hospitals, and more. Biophilic-designed buildings incorporate indoor plants, interior landscaping, natural lighting, fresh air ventilation, and other elements to create a healthier environment to support human health and wellbeing.

There are 24 individual qualities of biophilic design. They include:

  • Direct experience: contact with green elements such as plants, views of nature, water, and natural airflow.
  • Indirect experience: the use of natural materials such as wood or natural fabrics like cotton and wool; exposure to images of nature in artwork; and the use of natural shapes and forms.
  • Experience of space and place: How is your own cultural and ecological attachment to a particular indoor area affected?

Multiple studies show a positive relationship between the presence of nature in the workplace and employee wellness and productivity. The design think tank Human Spaces reports employees working in environments with natural elements like plants and sunlight have a 15 percent higher level of well-being. This translates into a six percent increase in productivity and a 15 percent increase in creativity.

Think about what a six percent efficiency increase would mean in your business. Imagine one creative idea that turns into the next Tesla, Bitcoin, or even Scrub Daddy (look it up). What would you be willing to invest in getting there?

There are several simple design changes easily made in workspaces. The easiest and most cost-efficient way is the addition of plants into your environment. This action also gets building owners and facilities managers thinking big picture about the amount of space people have to work in or the best way to make buildings safer and healthier. Safety, health, and worker productivity all go together.

Natural light, plants and vegetation, living walls, natural textures and materials, and views of nature will all provide the positive impact employers need to hire and keep their employees. And it can all be done for less than the cost of a cup of coffee per employee daily.

TEDx Youth Talk by Jim Mumford: Living architecture

| February 18, 2013 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Media Coverage
Sharing beautiful images and a compelling story about how his successful plantscaping business bloomed into a pioneering player in the burgeoning field of living architecture, Jim Mumford shows how uber-sleek depictions of futuristic cities are way off the mark. His talk to San Diego high school students on the theme of “Architects of the Future,” demonstrates how plants and metropolitan habitats on walls, roofs, patios at work and at home will bring nature into our lives even more in the future, not less. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.… Read More

The Walls are Alive and Growing at the Mall

| July 30, 2012 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Living Walls
Good Earth Plants and Greenscaped Buildings Will Complete the Final Phases of the New Colorful, Living Wall at Fashion Valley Mall Next Week – By Jim Mumford, President and Green Guru, Good Earth Plants and Greenscaped Buildings Starting August 6, we will be building the new Green Wall at San Diego’s Fashion Valley Mall next to the new True Foods Restaurant and across the street from The Cheesecake Factory. I am thrilled to not only give the city of San Diego and the shoppers of Fashion Valley Mall something beautiful to look at, but also give all residents cleaner air to breath!… Read More

4 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Plantscaper

| July 16, 2012 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
What you don’t know can really cost you the green! No matter where you stand on the great outsource-insource debate, it is abundantly clear that most businesses in San Diego, don’t want to add interior plant design and plant maintenance to their list of in-house services—much less add it to the job description of an employee who may turn your greenery into compost! Some things are just better left to the professionals—especially those with a green thumb! But how do you know which professionals will give you the best green for your green? Good Earth Plants services many clients in San Diego and southern California who have shared their stories of plants gone wild, or more accurately, splash and dash companies masquerading as plantscaping companies.… Read More

Good Earth Plants and Greenscaped Buildings Fashion Valley Mall Project Gets Noticed

| June 25, 2012 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Awards & Achievements, Biophilic Design, Living Walls, Media Coverage
We’re in the News! San Diego Business Journal details the project as part of the shopping center’s remodeling efforts Feel free to read the post here: ‘Living Wall’ Is Part of Fashion Valley Makeover Plans Or for your reading convenience; here is the full post featured on the San Diego Business Journal’s Website: ‘Living Wall’ Is Part of Fashion Valley Makeover Plans By LOU HIRSH Wednesday, June 20, 2012 Simon Property Group Inc. is installing a 46-foot-long, 16-foot-tall “living wall” feature at its Fashion Valley mall, to be covered with 4,000 ornamental plants, ferns, grasses and eight different types of ground coverings.… Read More

Here We Grow – Pacifica San Diego Magazine

| April 24, 2010 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Green Roofs, Media Coverage
When there’s no space on the ground, Jim Mumford plants on the walls and the roof. His Kearny Mesa-based company, Good Earth Plant Company, has been providing plantscaping services for San Diego homeowners and businesses for more than 30 years. Today, Mumford’s new venture, GreenScaped Buildings, also creates “green roofs” and “living walls,” giving life to otherwise inanimate objects. Read more: http://www.pacificsandiego.com/2010/04/24/here-we-grow/